NMAAM Presents: WOVEN WIND

Woven Wind

March 26 – June 12, 2026

NMAAM Galleries

Opening Reception: March 26, 5:00-7:00 PM

Woven Wind is a groundbreaking multidisciplinary project that explores the complex harmonies between music, memory, and the African American experience. Drawing from the Lovell Quitman archive, a collection of plantation records and Civil War-era photographs, this exhibition constructs an artistic platform for education, conversation, empathy, and healing.

Artist Vesna Pavlović, in collaboration with Courtney Adair Johnson, Marlos E’van, Mélisande Short-Colomb, Rod McGaha, Jan Hillegas, and Woody Register, weaves together photography, video, sculpture, and sound to uncover buried histories and amplify unheard voices. Archival research, community engagement, and conversations with descendants of the enslaved inform every aspect of the installation.

Central to Woven Wind is a mesmerizing soundscape composed by jazz luminary Rod McGaha, which fills the galleries and invites listeners to connect with the resilience and artistry of the African American musical tradition. Large-scale photographic tapestries and immersive video works create a powerful visual landscape that bridges past and present.

“We are thrilled to showcase Vesna’s boundary-pushing work,” says Dr. Bryan Pierce, NMAAM’s Director of Curation. “Her multisensory approach invites viewers to experience music in a whole new dimension.”

“Through Woven Wind, we aim to activate the archive and attend to the voices of the enslaved and their descendants,” adds Pavlović. “It’s an invitation to remember together and work towards healing in the present.”

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the music of memory in a whole new way. Join us for the opening reception on March 26, 5:00-7:00 PM, to meet the artists and engage with this transformative project. The exhibition will remain on view through June 12.

Woven Wind is made possible by the Tennessee Arts Commission, Vanderbilt University, Mellon Foundation, Tennessee State University, the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy, the Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation at the University of the South, and the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture. Special thanks to the Toles family for welcoming us and allowing us to listen.